Evidence for the Resurrection

Text—these are the very words of God

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 ESV

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Introduction

Just about everyone has used the phrase, “You’d have to see it to believe it,” at some point.

A man landing on the moon

A “hole-in-one” in golf

A stunning sunset

Seeing someone who is shy singing Karaoke

We use this phrase because we recognize that what we have seen it so remarkably magnificent that it will turn those who hear about into skeptics!

They reveal themselves as skeptics by asking questions like:

Did anybody else see it?

They try to just sound inquisitive but you can hear it in their voice—they want evidence!

Is there anything more remarkably magnificent than the Good News that Jesus died for sin and rose again?

Perhaps God knew that the hearts of many skeptics would want to ask, “Did anybody else see it?”

This morning we will see that God has left us no shortage of testimony regarding the resurrection of Christ!

This morning we will see that...

Big Idea

The resurrection of Christ is Good News with evidence.

Context

The Bible contains two letters written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth (modern-day Greece)

Paul was an important leader in the early church

He went from being someone who tried to imprison Christians and stop the church to being someone who is a Christian and leads the Church.

At least 13 of the New Testament’s 27 books are written by Paul

Corinth is a mess of a church

Behavior problems

But also belief problems

In this chapter, Paul is writing to correct a false belief spread by false teachers that there is no resurrection

It is not surprising that a church in the heart of ancient Rome would struggle with this

The Greco-Roman mindset would be revolted at the idea of resurrection

Their philosophy focused purely on the soul—saw the body as worthless

Paul is going to set this straight and he starts by talking about the Resurrection of Christ

Outline

1. The Evidence of the Scriptures (v. 3-4).

2. The Evidence of Eyewitnesses (v. 5-8).

3. The Evidence of the Church (v. 1-2).

1. The Evidence of the Scriptures (v. 3-4).

Gospel Intro into Verses 3-4

In this text, Paul is speaking of the Cross and Resurrection

Heartbeat of Christian message

The eternal salvation of souls swings on these two hinges:

That Jesus lived a perfect life and died as a Substitute for sinners on the Cross

That Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again and still alive today

The Bible tells us that is the good and perfect Creator of the World and of humanity.

In the beginning, God created...

Male and female He created them...

But the Bible also tells us we have rebelled against God

The first two people He made were Adam and Eve—they rebelled against God.

They did what God said not to do

They sinned

They fell away from God and we have also fallen

We do what God says not to do

We don’t do what God says to do

We are sinners

Adam and Eve were told they would surely die for their sin

It is no different than us

Breaking God’s Law has the penalty of death

BUT—the Good News of the Gospel is that God sent Jesus to die for sins and rise again.

God sent Jesus to open the way for humans to be saved from judgment and given eternal life

We call this Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection THE GOSPEL.

The Good News

Textual Transition into Verses 3-4

This is the Gospel that Paul preached when he was a pastor to Corinthians (v. 1)

This is the Gospel they received and they stand in (v. 1)

This is the Gospel that saved them, saves them and will save them (v. 2)

This is the Gospel of first importance (v. 3)

Christ crucified and resurrected

A message of forgiveness and salvation for all who would receive it

Maybe you would say— “Right...but is it true?”

Is it true that God became a man and His name was Jesus?

Is it true that He lived a perfect life and died on a Cross 2000 years ago?

Is it true that He did something no one else could do—He died and rose again from the grave?

You ask if it is true because you must admit—If it is true—you have to deal with it.

If Jesus truly died and rose again and my soul’s eternal destination depends upon whether or not I receive Him—then you cannot just ignore.

So then—Let’s examine the evidence.

We start with the Evidence of the Scriptures in v. 3-4.

Christ Died/Rose in Accordance With the Scriptures

“In accordance with the Scriptures” is referring to the whole of the Old Testament.

The Old Testament Scriptures all pointed in one direction—toward a coming Messiah who would live, die and rise in order to save sinners

Jesus said Himself that the Old Testament Scriptures were all about Him:

Luke 24:44 ESV

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

But while the whole of the OT is about Jesus and is fulfilled in Jesus, we can look at individual Scriptures that proves Paul’s point

The Death of Christ

Isaiah 53—a prophecy written about 700 years before Jesus lived

Tells of a coming Servant who will suffer for His people

Despised and rejected by men (v. 3)

Bearing the griefs and sorrows of His people (v. 4)

Pierced for sins and crushed for iniquity (v. 5)

By His would we are healed (v. 5)

Oppressed and afflicted (v. 7)

Grave will be with rich man in death (v. 9)

Amazing considering how Jesus was buried in the tomb of a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimathea

He made an offering for guilt (v. 10)

It describes Christ’s atoning death with so much accuracy that many thought Christian scribes had altered the text

1947: Bedouin found the Dead Sea Scrolls in a cave near the Dead Sea

The Book of Isaiah was found inside

The scroll predated Christ’s birth and YET—it reads just like it does in our Bibles today!

There are other Scriptures we could name:

Psalm 22

Zechariah 12:10

Psalm 34:20

The Old Testament is pregnant with expectation of the Messiah’s death

The Resurrection of Christ

Similarly, there are specific Scriptures which foretold of the Messiah’s resurrection.

Psalm 16:10 ESV

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

This verse is quoted by the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul on two different occasions in the book of Acts.

Both make the same point—

King David wrote those words.

David died.

His body went into a grave and saw corruption.

He was not talking about Himself!

Again, there are other Scriptures we could turn to:

Isaiah 53:10-11—where the Suffering Servant who is pierced for transgressions has his days prolonged

Hosea 6—After 2 days he will revive us—on the third day he will raise us up

Whether it is explicit or implied...

...Whether it is in types or shadows or figures of speech...

...The Old Testament predicted the death and resurrection of Christ the Messiah centuries before it ever happened.

Maybe You Don’t Trust the Bible

Maybe you are unimpressed with the Bible...

Isn’t it a really old book? Can it really be trusted?

That is a fair question.

I think it is worth answering.

The Bible’s One Message

Can I tell you some things about this Book that gives evidence about the Resurrection?

It is written over a period of 1500 years

It has over 40 different authors

It is written in three different languages on three different continents

Some of the authors are kings and some are tax collectors

And yet it has ONE CONSISTENT MESSAGE—

The glory of God in saving sinners through Jesus Christ.

The Bible Stands Alone

The Bible also stands alone in terms of ancient books—religious or otherwise.

Most people do not question whether or not Julius Caesar existed.

But how do we know that?

Mainly it is because of an important ancient document called Gallic Wars

That document was written a few generations before the Bible.

The earliest copy we have of it is written in 900 AD

That means the time between the writing of Gallic Wars and our first copy of Gallic Wars 1000 years passed

We have around 251 manuscript copies of that ancient book

Now let me tell you about my God’s book.

The New Testament—which tells of the Resurrection—was written between 50 and 100 AD.

We have portions of copies of NT books that are within 30 years of the time it was written

We have copies of entire NT books within 100 years

We have copies of the whole New Testament within 200 years

All in all we have over 5,800 Greek manuscript copies

Bible

earliest copies are within one generation

5800 manuscript copies

Gallic Wars

1000 years

251 manuscript copies

Yet no one questions if Caesar existed, but they side-eye Scripture!

This is an example of:

Bad information creating bad presuppositions leading to wrong conclusions.

What Will You Do with God’s Word?

The Bible has internal evidence of being a special book

The unity

The fulfillment of prophecies

The power of its message

But it is also a Book that withstands external examination

It is unmatched in its ability to guarantee accuracy to its original authors

It is unmatched it its historical legitimacy

It is unmatched in its inscrutability

You may want to deny its message...

You may want to deny its power...

But you cannot that it stands alone and demands your attention

The Bible tells us that Jesus rose again in accordance with the predictions, prophecies, poetry and prose of the Scriptures.

Will you listen to its testimony this morning?

The OT Scriptures promised Jesus would rise again.

And then the NT Scriptures record these glorious words:

Luke 24:6 ESV

He is not here, but has risen.

2. The Evidence of Eyewitnesses (v. 5-8).

Paul lists out six different eyewitnesses in this passage.

1. Cephas (Peter) (v. 5)

Peter was one Jesus’ 12 disciples.

He is known by three names in the NT

Simon = Common Jewish name

Cephas = “Rock” in Aramaic

Name given to him by Jesus

Peter is the Greek form of Cephas

He was one of three disciples in Jesus’ inner-circle

He is the most prominent leader of the church in the first 15-20 years

Luke 24:33–34 ESV

And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

2. The Twelve (v. 5)

This is speaking of the disciples

Judas betrayed Jesus and committed suicide not very long after Jesus was sentenced to death

This is likely referring to the Twelve minus one.

Matthias replaced Judas

He may have been there

Since the Apostles are mentioned separately, I suspect this was the 11 remaining who still would have been known as “The Twelve.”

Listen to what Jesus says about the evening of that first Resurrection Sunday

John 20:19 ESV

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

3. More Than 500 Brothers at One Time (v. 6)

Paul says that at some point, Jesus appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time

We really do not know who these people were

We really do not know where Jesus appeared to them

What we do know:

The way Paul speaks about it, it seems to be a well-known event in the early church

That means the people would have been well known

Some of them have died (fallen asleep)

But most are still alive

What is implied is that you can go and talk to them!

If you were trying to cover-up some sort of hoax regarding Jesus’ resurrection you would not say this

This could be easily disproven

Paul says it with his chest out

4. James (v. 7)

This most likely referring to James, the half-brother of Jesus

His inclusion is important

He was a skeptic about Jesus—as you might be if your brother said He and God the Father were ONE

John 7:5 ESV

For not even his brothers believed in him.

But something happened that made James change his mind

He went from being a skeptic to being a believer and a crucial leader in the church

I believe what happened is clear:

James saw his half-brother die brutally

His brother was put in a rich man’s tomb

A stone was rolled in front

Highly trained Roman guards were set on watch

And yet—James saw His half-brother alive again

And at that point He said, “My half-brother Jesus is the Christ and He is my Lord.”

James’ conversion is a great proof of the resurrection.

5. The Apostles (v. 7)

These are the Apostles of the Book of Acts.

These are the 12 men that were the foundation of the Church

They were all eyewitnesses to the resurrection

Acts 1:2–3 ESV

until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

The Apostles are:

Simon Peter: Likely crucified upside down about thirty years after Christ died and rose

Andrew: Likely crucified on a X shaped Cross in Greece around 60 AD

James son of Zebedee: Beheaded by Herod Agrippa in Acts 12

John son of Zebedee: Exiled to the island of Patmos where he probably died of old age

Philip: Likely crucified or beheaded in Phyrgia around 80 AD

Bartholomew: Reported to be skinned alive and beheaded in Armenia

Matthew: Likely executed by sword in Ethiopia about ten years after he wrote the Gospel of Matthew

Thomas: Speared to death in India in 72 AD

James son of Alphaeus: Likely stoned or crucified about thirty years after Jesus’ resurrection

Thaddaeus: Reportedly executed by arrows or ax in Persia

Simon the Zealot: Reportedly sawn in half in Persia

Matthias: Tradition says he was stoned and beheaded in Ethiopia

Jesus poured His Spirit out upon these men and they took the News of Jesus’ Resurrection all around the world

You may be tempted to think these men lied about Jesus’ Resurrection to keep their little movement alive, but here is the problem with your theory

They didn’t get rich off this—they got beaten.

To a man they suffered; most died (GO UP TO ITALICIZED DEATHS)

You might be willing to suffer for a lie, but what are the chances you would die for it?

What are the chances that all 12 are willing to die for a lie?

Instead, what makes far more sense that they died for a truth.

And that truth is that Jesus Christ—who died for sins—resurrected from the grave and He is Lord over all.

God in the flesh.

6. The Apostle Paul (v. 8)

Paul says the resurrected Christ appeared to Him as “one untimely born.”

Another way to say this would be “abnormally born”

The Apostle Paul did not see Jesus in the time between His Resurrection and His Ascension into heaven in Acts 1

Paul was not a Christian at first, but an enemy of the Church

He hated the Christian message of Christ crucified and resurrected and sought to snuff it out

On his way to persecute more Christians in a city called Damascus, Paul was blinded by the Light of the Risen Messiah.

Acts 9:3–5 ESV

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Court of Law Illustration

In a Court of Law, what is the most compelling evidence?

What is the evidence that really gets a lawyer excited?

Is it physical evidence?

Is it expert testimony?

Is it timelines and diagrams?

Well—in truth, nothing is more powerful than corroborating evidence.

Independent sources who agree on facts without colluding with one another

A mountain of evidence all pointing in the same direction

This is what we have in the Resurrection

On the morning of the Resurrection—

Jesus appeared to a woman named Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9; John 20:14)

To certain women returning from His tomb (Matthew 28:9-10)

To Simon Peter (Luke 24:34)

To two disciples traveling to a place called Emmaus (Luke 24:13)

To ten of “The Twelve” (John 20:19) —no Thomas

Then to 11 of “The Twelve” —Thomas was there that time

To the 7 of “The Twelve” fishing in the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1)

To 11 of “The Twelve” again on a mountain in Galilee where He commissions them to spread the Gospel to the nations (Matthew 28:16-20)

To James, his half-brother, as we have seen in v. 7

To all who saw His ascension in Acts 1

All of their testimonies point in the same direction.

All of them have the same story.

Independent, non-contradictory testimonies

A high number of witnesses

Firsthand accounts

Christ who was crucified was seen resurrected.

Teaching. Talking. Eating. Correcting.

Evidence is On the Table

And so then, the evidence is on the table.

What will you do with it?

Eyewitness after eyewitness has taken the stand.

One after another the answer is He is Risen, He is Risen, He is Risen.

This sets Christianity apart from the other religions of the world.

Muslims don’t claim that Mohammed is alive.

The eyewitnesses say that he died in Medina in 632 AD

A fever took him.

Buddhists don’t claim that Buddha is still alive.

The eyewitnesses say He died from food poisoning in 432 BC

Confucianists do not claim Confucius is still alive.

He died of natural causes in 479 BC

But the consistent testimony of the Christian is this—Jesus Christ died and resurrected.

Steve Wells shared the Gospel with a young man at our Egg Dash two weeks ago

He said, “Jesus resurrected and He is still alive.”

The young man’s eyes got big and he said, “He’s still alive?!?”

Resoundingly we said YES to that young man.

This is the consistent Christian testimony.

Jesus died and Jesus rose.

Hundreds of eyewitnesses say, “I saw it with my own two.”

What will you say?

3. The Evidence of the Church (v. 1-2).

We end by going back to the beginning of the passage.

The Evidence of the Church’s Spread

It is amazing that Paul says the Corinthians received the Gospel.

SHOW MAP OF DISTANCE FROM JERUSALEM TO CORINTH

How did a message about a Jewish Messiah who came in accordance with Jewish Scriptures end up in GREECE?

Furthermore, how did it end up in the cities of Asia Minor?

All of this was according to the promise of the Resurrected Christ!

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus promised that He would ascend from earth to heaven

This is where He is today—alive and reigning

The Bible promises that one day He will return just as He left

But until then, His message spreads.

This is because He promised to pour out His Spirit on His Church and then they went OUT as EYEWITNESSES of the Resurrection and testified

And by the power of His Spirit—the Gospel spread just as Jesus said it would

From Jerusalem out into the tribes and languages and people groups of the world

How can we explain this?

The disciples were not impressive guys

The Twelve were untrained men

On the night of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, most ran away!

One denied knowing him all together on three separate occasions.

And yet—the become bold as lions

And these untrained men are sent out

And they change the entire face of human history

How could they do this?

It can only explained by the Spirit of risen Christ empowering the Church!

The Evidence of the Church’s Worship

In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul speaks about what these Corinthian Christians are to do on the “First Day of the Week.”

Throughout the NT, the “First Day of the Week” is when the church gathers for worship

Why would they do this?

The church started with Jewish people.

They and their ancestors had gathered for public worship on Saturdays—the Sabbath Day—for centuries

But suddenly, we find them gathering for public worship on Sunday—the First Day of the Week.

WHY?

Luke 24:1–2 ESV

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

Something happened that changed their custom!

Jesus Christ rose from the dead!

How else can we explain such a drastic paradigm shift?

The very day that these Corinthian Christians and all other Christians would gather is evidence of something as MONUMENTAL as the Resurrection happening 2000 years ago.

The Evidence of the Survival of the Movement

Lastly, we have to say that the survival of the movement is amazing.

It can only be explained by the Resurrection of Jesus.

Think about it.

Part of the reason that Jesus died is that the religious authorities did not want Him around anymore.

His teaching confronted them with their hypocrisy

They lost influence to Him

They wanted Him dead

After He died, do you think they are going to let a falsehood spread if they can easily prove it were true?

Go produce a body

Go get the Romans to say it didn’t happen

If they could have, they would have, but they couldn’t.

All they could do is try to stop the News from spreading.

That is exactly what they attempt to do in the Book of Acts.

They want to silence the Apostles.

Because they know they can’t contradict them.

If the church were built on a lie, it would have fizzled out.

But it hasn’t .

Here in Yorktown, we have received the SAME Gospel Paul preached.

We are a part of the same Church.

We are followers of the same Resurrected Lord.

What Must Be Explained

How do you account for all of this if you deny that Christ rose again?

There were a bunch of false messiahs around the time of Jesus who started movements, got killed by the authorities and they were never heard from again.

Why is it not that way with Jesus?

Why didn’t His movement end like Theudas’ after poor Thuedas drowned in the Jordan River?

Why didn’t His followers scatter like the political zealot, Judas of Galilee, who led a tax revolt and got put down by the Romans?

Why didn’t Jesus’ name end up a joke like Simon Bar Kohba—a false messiah who led a revolt against Rome 100 years after Christ and got 1/2 a million Jews killed?

The answer to these questions is that Jesus died and rose again.

The sight of His resurrected Person...

The power of His Spirit...

The irrefutable fact of the empty grave...

These were like Rockets attached to the Shuttle of the Church

Propelling it out further and further

As soul by soul believed, the Church grew from nation to nation

You want to deny the Resurrection?

You have to explain the Church then

How it survived?

Why her fathers were willing to die?

Why children gather to worship the God of Abraham on a Sunday?

Why were skeptics converted?

The Church herself is proof that Her Lord is risen!

Something happened that changed the course of history

Something occurred that altered the course of time

God became a man

He died on a Cross

He rose from the Grave

His name is Jesus

And His Church, who has received His Gospel...

...Who are saved by it...

...They are evidence that He is alive!

Conclusion

Maybe you are at the point this morning where you would ask— So what?

Well—if Christ is risen, it means that there are some things that are true that you have to deal with.

1. Jesus is God.

Jesus claimed to be God.

He said that He and the Father are One

He claimed to have the authority to forgive sin—something only God can do

He said if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father

His resurrection from the Dead proves that this is true.

John 10:17–18 ESV

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Excuse me?

Who talks like that?

Only God.

2. Jesus is the Judge of humanity.

Acts 17:31 ESV

because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

People today want to put God in the defendant’s chair and they want to be the Judge

But Jesus is a god who will not be moved off his bench

He is the Judge

He proved it when He rose again

Jesus claimed that the Father gave Him all authority to judge

That is an audacious claim...

...Unless you rise from the Dead to prove that you ARE who You say You are

Earlier we talked about how we are sinners.

Isaiah 53:6 ESV

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Well the Lord Jesus will judge sinners.

All sin will be dealt with.

No one can say they are innocent.

3. Jesus has opened a way of forgiveness.

But thankfully, Jesus has opened a way for sinners to be forgiven through His resurrection.

Christ died on the Cross in accordance with the Scriptures

It was a death FOR sins

The punishment that we deserve for rebelling against God and sinning against God was poured out on Jesus’ head

His blood was spilt for MY SINS—YOUR SINS—OUR SINS

He died so you would not be judged by God.

He received damnation on the Cross FOR YOU so you would not be DAMNED.

How do we know His death is effective to cover my sins before God?

Because He rose!

Romans 6:4 ESV

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

If God the Father had not accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for us, would He have raised Him from the grave?

Of Course not!

The Resurrection of Christ is proof that Jesus’ death was sufficient.

That means Christ has paid for sins.

That means you can be forgiven.

4. Jesus gives eternal life.

To be forgiven, you must agree with God that your sin is evil.

It crucified God’s Son—what else could it be?

To be forgiven, you must turn away from your sin.

This is called repentance.

It is a total change of direction.

And to be forgiven, you must give up on all ideas of saving yourself.

You must give up on the idea of any other way to eternal life

To be forgiven, you must place your faith in the Resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ.

And His promises is that not only will your sins be forgiven, but that you will have LIFE in your soul.

And even if your body dies, your soul does not.

John 11:25–26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus asks you the same question.

Do you believe this?

The evidence is stacked up.

The time for decision is here.

Christ has really and truly risen.

What will you do with that?